New project – entertainment room makeover

A few weeks ago VELUX contacted me about collaborating on a blog post. Like with any posts I work on with a company, I wait to see if a project will arise for me to include them in something I’m working on. A few weeks passed and our patience paid off when Camilla, a long time reader, got in contact with me about updating her entertainment room. And would you believe, she had two VELUX skylights that were a key part of the brief. Perfect!

I visited Camilla’s house two weeks ago to talk with her and her fiance Wayne about what they were looking for. They weren’t looking to undergo a huge change; a few updates to turn the current bright space into a cosy entertainment room. Both Wayne and Camilla are homebodies, so it’s a room that will get a lot of use. They’ve ordered a projector for the room, but in order to be able to use it, they need to install blackout blinds to their two existing VELUX skylights [which is a pretty vital part of the design, and segues nicely into our collaboration!]. 

In keeping with darkening the entertainment room, they were considering going dark with the design and I actually managed to convince them to go nearly-black on the walls [like in our bedroom]. I assured them that with the right accessories and accent pieces, a dark room won’t seem as overwhelming as they may think. It’s a room that gets a lot of sun during the day thanks to the skylights, but with the press of a button, the room can be transformed into a cosy Netflix snug thanks to electronic blackout blinds.

We talked about their design likes and dislikes, textures and finishes they preferred, and even about the more abstract things they like. I went away, compiled an entertainment room mock-up with lots of dark green, wood and hints of dusty pink and [to my very nervous surprise] they loved what I came back with …

Products clockwise from top [then spiraling inward] …
– Blackout blinds from VELUX
– 1830 Rue Chapal nearly-black paint from Fleetwood
– 4 seater VIMLE sofa from IKEA
– Green vintage rug – still on the hunt for one!
– Seno mid century sideboard from Article
– Bonsai tree from IKEA
– Rose gold and dusty pink candle sticks from Article

Both Camilla and Wayne like unexpected twists in design [a couple after my own heart], so after sneakily learning about their favourite movies and TV series, I found some Labyrinth and Rick and Morty themed parody prints that at first glance give a strong level of sophistication to the room. They like mid-century modern, natural and nature inspired fabrics and finishes, as well as a hint of gold. It’ll be a few weeks before we can start updating the room and ordering products, but once the work does start, I don’t see it taking long to finish. I particularly can’t wait to live vicariously through their purchasing the likes of that green couch. Anybody? No? Just me? I’m fine with that. 

DISCLOSURE – this is a sponsored blog post from VELUX. As always, all words and opinions are my own. I only work with companies I like and of course, think that you will too. Thank you for supporting the companies that support The Interior DIYer. 

How to repair a very worn rug (and why flatwoven rugs suck)

Yes. The wildly shameful image above is our IKEA Stockholm rug. This is it, 18 months after we bought it. 

When I first brought our new rug home, it was heaven. It fit perfectly under our couch and coffee table, and gave a serious punch of black and white to the room. It really anchored the look of the space and I couldn’t have been more smitten. However, as the months went on, I realized exactly how difficult it was to keep. And I realized why.


The IKEA Stockholm rug is a flatwoven rug; meaning, it is tightly woven in a loop vs. regular low pile rugs that aren’t woven in a loop. Meaning, it ages quickly. 

The area between the coffee table and our couch got the most ware. This is where we would walk from our kitchen [to the left of the picture above] and cut across the living room to get to our dining area [on the right]. We also spent a lot of time here as this is where we watch TV, entertain guests and sometimes work.

Another reason why flatwoven rugs are a bad idea is cats. For anyone who doesn’t have a cat, I will explain that cats have a natural urge to sharpen their nails. As Toshi is demonstrating so gracefully below. I trim our cats nails regularly, so that minimized the damage that could have happened to the rug. Whenever they picked at the rug, it would pull at the flatwoven closed-loops and sometimes snag. Not cool.

It’s something that didn’t even occur to me when we bought the rug. But now I know. I’m in no way mad at our cats because it’s a natural urge of theirs. They can’t help it. So maybe if you have a cat and are on the lookout for a rug, you’ll know too. Learn from my mistake. Low or high pile rug = good. Flatwoven rug = bad.

Case in point – we have a black and white IKEA Virring rug which the cats also scratch, but because it’s a low pile rug, their nails sail through it like a breeze and it has zero damage.

So if you have a flatwoven rug that is damaged like some of my incredibly embarrassing photos above, do not fret. There is a way. And it is a breeze.

I first started to trim the rug with scissors. That was laborious and tedious. I quickly had a eureka moment and realized – why not just use husbands electric hair trimmer? So I plugged it in and it was like some form of wizardry …

Trim. Vacuum. Literally good as new. I was nearly in tears. It was perfect. No word of a lie. I will accept baked goods or folding money as a thank you. You’re welcome in advance. 

I should explain that my husband doesn’t use this hair trimmer so it was okay to use it. When I was finished, the trimmer wasn’t dirty and was in perfect working order for the next flatwoven mistake that comes our way. Or you know, for hair. 

Our rug turned out so neat, tidy and nearly new that I was in fact able to sell it. I wouldn’t have been able to sell it if it wasn’t to a high standard. It’s all part of my attempt to make our apartment less obviously IKEA and I already have my eye on a couple of second hand low pile rugs to replace it. These colder months really call for rugs. Neatly trimmed rugs.